New Year's Revival! January 4th through 7th!

Zion UMC is proud to present a 4-night Revival event, starting January 4th and ending on January 7th...

Come and hear one of the featured speakers from the Bailey Smith Real Evangelism Conference 2008. This man with Cerebral Palsy has inspired thousands through his preaching of the Word, the uplifting music that he sings, and his personal testimony of what God has done in his life. His sense of humor will delight you, and his message will challenge you to surrender everything to Jesus.

Services each night will begin at 7 o'clock.

On Sunday, the 4th, at 5 o'clock, please join us in our Community Building for a potluck dinner, and meet Evangelist Steve Freeman and his family!

Steve's personal testimony is available to hear here...

SHARING THE SECRET

At the end of the Christmas narrative regarding the shepherds, in Luke 2:19, we read, “Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.”

Then, in Luke 2:41-51, we read:

41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. 43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. 44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. 45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. 47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. 48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. 49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?50 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. 51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.”

Mary had a secret and, later, Jesus had a secret as well. Remember what occurred at the wedding feast of Cana, in the second chapter of John:

1On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, 2and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine." 4"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come." 5His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." 6Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. 7Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. 8Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, 9and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

Repeatedly in the Gospels, Jesus told people not to tell anyone his true identity. Here are eight such instances:

1. Matthew 8:4Then Jesus said to him, "See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

2. Matthew 16:20Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

3. Matthew 17:9As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

4. Mark 7:36Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it.

5. Mark 8:30Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

6. Mark 9:9As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

7. Luke 5:14Then Jesus ordered him, "Don't tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them."

8. Luke 8:56Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

Line items 3 and 6 differ from everything else in the list, in that they specify that – after Jesus has risen from the dead, THEN the truth of his identity could be revealed…and this happened approximately 2,000 years ago…

…so why aren’t we sharing the secret?

2 Corinthians 4:3 says, “if our Gospel [is hidden], it is [hidden] to them that are lost.”

Romans 10:5-15 tells us, someone’s got to tell the world about the Gospel, and since it is easily on hand for us, we have no excuse not to:

"Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) 7"or 'Who will descend into the deep?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." 12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." 14How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

We who know the truth, and have received it, have a responsibility to share the truth of the Gospel message with a lost and dying world.

John 14:17-21: “The worldly cannot receive the Spirit of truth, because they can’t see him, neither do they know him: but you know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more; but you see me: And because I live, you shall live also. At that day you shall know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Those that have my commandments [in their heart], and keep them, they are the ones that love me: and they that love me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love them, and will manifest myself to them.”

John 14:26 says, when you have a relationship with Christ, “the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, who the Father send in the name of Jesus, shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, everything I have said to you…[in the word, and in your hearts.” In verse 27 Jesus says, if you have a relationship with him, he will reveal to you his peace: “my peace I will give to you: which is not a peace like the world gives,” And then he adds, “don’t allow your heart to be troubled, and don’t be afraid.”

As we launch forward into the new year, we should take heart – be courageous – and boldly proclaim the Truth of the Word as God makes opportunities available to us…

Happy Holidays!

Fourth Sunday of Advent, 2008

During the 11 o'clock Worship Hour, the Zion UMC Choir presented the challenging Christmas Cantata "Hope Has Hands," and offered up a joyful noise unto the Lord before a packed sanctuary. Later, in the evening, at 6 p.m., the Sr. MYF and the Jr. MYF presented their annual Christmas program, an adaptation of the children's novel, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever," which was modified to be set in Pricetown. Afterward, a special visitor in red and white arrived to the delight of all, and then Christmas gifts were exchanged...

Sermon Notes for the Third Sunday of Advent 2008

Another definition of the word Advent is “the arrival of something momentous,” according to Webster’s College Dictionary...

During the Advent season, we anticipate the arrival of Christmas, and reflect on that time when the arrival of the Messiah was anticipated by his people as we, in turn, anticipate the return of Jesus Christ…

1,700 years before the birth of Christ, Jacob – the son of Isaac, and the brother of Esau – anticipated the arrival of the Messiah when he spoke the following words found in Genesis 49:10 -

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.”

The term SHILOH is found in the Scriptures approximately 33 times, and in 32 of these instances, it is identified as a place…

You may have heard of a town called SHILOH in cowboy novels or cowboy movies, but Jacob was not referring to a place when he made this statement on his deathbed. He was referring to a person…the Messiah, long anticipated by his people. He was being quite specific about specific characteristics of the Messiah as well. Many feel that when Christ fulfilled these characteristics, there could no longer be any further argument against the fact that Jesus was, indeed, the Shiloh…the Messiah.

One theologian remarked that “perhaps there is no part of the Old Testament scriptures which [Hebrews] find so difficult to reconcile with their unbelief in Jesus as this. [It is a very graphic and explicit reminder of the Redeemer, [and] it stands forth to the Christian as one of those solid proofs of the authority and divinity of our holy religion.”

But what does the term Shiloh, as used by Jacob in Genesis 49, mean?

1. A Messenger, or ‘one who is sent.’
· The Gospels tell us that Jesus was “sent of the Father” as the messenger of God’s love and mercy to our lost world…
· “For this we know, and testify, that the Father sent the Son.” (1 John 4:14)
· Christ repeatedly referred to himself in the Gospels as being one who was “sent by the Father”: “This is the will of God, that you believe on him whom he hath sent.” (John 6:29)
· “For I came heaven not to do my will, but the will of him who sent me.” (John 6:38)
· As the Messenger, or Sent One of God, he covenanted with the Father for the redemption of the world. In the fullness of time, God sent him forth, and he was anointed to the great work by the descent of the Holy Spirit. After this event, he entered his public ministry by proclaiming, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

2. A Peace-Maker.
· Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be the “Prince of Peace,” and when Christ was born on that first Christmas morning, the angels sang, “Peace on earth, good will toward men.”
· As one theologian once wrote, “[The inhabitants of] Earth had rebelled against heaven; man against his God. Sin exposed our guilty race to the wrath of Deity. Jesus came to set up an honorable system of mediation He undertook to render perfect satisfaction to the insulted justice and holiness of God; he came to ‘magnify the Law,’ and through him all believers have peace with God. The gospel of peace is freely procured, and a spiritual empire of peace and holiness [has been] set up in our world.”

3. A Prosperous Savior.
· Jesus was sent of God to be the Savior of the world. He became a Savior through making peace for us. But as a Savior he is prosperous in that he possesses every qualification for saving souls.
· In the Old Testament Messianic prophecy of Isaiah, we read, “He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands.” (Isaiah 53:10)
· The Kingdom of the Shiloh is to be an everlasting Kingdom and his dominion shall be forever and ever. His reign of mercy is to be universal, and shall encompass every nation, people, and tongue. And portions of all people in the world will gather before him…

Sermon Notes for the Second Sunday of Advent 2008

Advent means “to come” and "the anticipation of a momentous event" and, during this time of year, we celebrate the anticipated arrival of the Lord Jesus.

I Thessalonians 3:9-13 reads, "9How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? 10Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith. 11Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. 12May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones."

· This passage of Scripture expresses the hope of seeing loved one’s face-to-face, after a prolonged absence.
· There is an encouragement to strive for Christian perfection and holiness:
1. There is an encouragement to love one another with Christian love.
2. There is an encouragement to be like Christ.

Like the Apostles, we anticipate the eminent arrival of the Lord Jesus Christ; we hope to see Jesus face-to-face soon, and we must make ready for his return.

Have you ever been separated from a friend or loved one, and had hopes of seeing them again? If that friend called you, out of the blue, and told you they’d be coming to see you – what would you do? You’d get yourself, and your house, ready…

Jesus is coming back, and we don’t know when…but we need to be ready.

We cannot afford to be uncertain as we anticipate the arrival of the Lord…

We must fulfill our commitments as Christians:
· by striving for Christian perfection, and lives of holiness
· by serving the Lord in our local church…when we join the church, we agree to honor the Lord, and his church, by giving it, and him:

1. Our Time
2. Our Talents
3. Our Presence, andOur Tithes…

Hanging of the Greens 2008

On Sunday, November 30th, our church congregation celebrated the 2008 Hanging of the Greens, we decorated the Christmon tree, we decorated the church with poinsettias, and some of the men in the church put up our Nativity Scene! The Advent season is officially upon us! The live tree in the sanctuary was given by an anonymous donor in memory of the late C.W. Smith, whom we all miss dearly...